Motorists win as Vic police protest

Victoria’s police union hopes its industrial campaign, which will rip millions of dollars from the state’s coffers, will force the government to the negotiating table.

As the campaign kicked off yesterday, Police Association secretary Greg Davies said police cars were flashing lights to warn motorists at locations where red light and speed cameras were present.

Senior Sergeant Davies said the union had made solid progress in negotiations with the police force’s command on workplace conditions but negotiators could not address the crucial issue of pay.

In October, police sought a 4.5 per cent annual wage rise but in February the state government countered with a proposed annual increase of only 2.5 per cent. “Not once have we seen a negotiator from the government to talk, or even appeared on behalf of the government to talk, money," he said.

Victorian Attorney-General
Robert Clark
said negotiations were proceeding in good faith despite the work bans. “The normal procedure for undertaking [enterprise bargaining agreement] negotiations is that the negotiations take place between the employer, in this case Victoria Police, and the relevant employee representatives," Mr Clark said.